According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese are born with fewer nephrons in their kidneys than other races, which could be why Japan has one of the world’s highest incidence of chronic kidney disease, an international research team found.
The relatively small body size of Japanese people could be behind the lower count of nephrons, which filter out waste in the blood to produce urine, according to the findings of the team, which included scientists from Japan and Australia.
Smaller bodies generally mean smaller kidneys and fewer nephrons, which the team connected to chronic kidney disease.
The salty diet could also make Japanese more susceptible to such diseases.
On average, one kidney contains about 1 million nephrons. But the number could vary from 200,000 to 2 million depending on race, according to the researchers.
In the first study on nephron numbers among Asians, the team examined the kidneys of 27 Japanese subjects and split them into three groups: normotensive, or subjects with normal blood pressure; hypertensive subjects; and subjects with chronic kidney disease.
The nine normotensive subjects had an estimated 640,000 nephrons per kidney on average, while the nine hypertensive subjects had 390,000, and those with chronic kidney disease had 270,000, according to the study.
In comparison, Europeans and U.S. citizens have an average of 900,000 nephrons.
“The number of nephrons is determined at birth,” said Go Kanzaki, an assistant professor at the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo and a member of the team.
Kanzaki said he is especially concerned about the increasing number of babies born with lower body weights in recent years.
He urges Japanese to reduce salt intake and avoid obesity.
“It is necessary to keep healthy lifestyles and continuously check kidney functions,” Kanzaki said.
The results of the study were published in the Oct. 5 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight.
Around 13 million patients suffered from chronic kidney disease in Japan in 2008, according to estimates by the Japanese Society of Nephrology.
More than 320,000 kidney disease patients were undergoing artificial dialysis at the end of 2015.

According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP and Mitsui have bought Peabody's 50 per cent stake in the Red Mountain joint venture in the coking coalfields of Queensland's Bowen Basin, which contains a coal handling, preparation and loading plant near Moranbah.
The deal increases BHP and Mitsui's stake in the assets from 50 per cent to 100 per cent. The infrastructure currently serves BHP and Mitsui's Poitrel mine plus Peabody's Millennium mine, and will continue to do so, with Peabody set to pay BHP and Mitsui to use the infrastructure.
There was no confirmation of the price paid, but it is believed to have been around $US20 million.
BHP's other coking coal partnership, with Mitsubishi, will also use Red Mountain's train loading infrastructure.

According to The Nikkei Asian Review, listed companies in Japan performed well in the six months ended September on demand at home and abroad, with 164 seen beating earnings initial expectations as of Thursday, putting them on track to surpass previously projected results for the full year.
The 1,587 that close their books in March see operating profit up 8.2% on the year for the first half and 6.2% for the full fiscal year.
While the automotive industry was last year's star, electric machinery makers have been taking the lead this year. Sony's April-September operating profit likely tripled on the year to just under 300 billion yen ($2.63 billion), beating records for the first time in 20 years. The company has streamlined its operations and costs, making its mainstay electronics business more profitable. Imaging sensors used in smartphones made up a chunk of its earnings, with OLED TVs and digital SLR cameras also selling well globally.
Sony expects operating profit to jump 70% this fiscal year to 500 billion yen but is believed to be reviewing this forecast right now. The stock market has high hopes, thanks to strong sales in the company's video game segment.
The global economy is steadily recovering, particularly in the U.S. and China. Rising Chinese wages have lifted demand for Fanuc industrial robots, while Nidec has upgraded its full-year profit forecast thanks to strong sales of motors for automobiles and appliances.
Itochu likely saw April-September net profit increase 9% to more than 220 billion yen, topping records for the first time in two years. Production and sales of Dole brand bananas have grown, while the trading house also enjoyed strong tire sales in Europe. Rising prices for coal and other materials will provide a boost as well.
Domestically focused corporations are also looking at greater profits. KDDI's operating profit likely edged up to about 540 billion yen for the half. The telecommunications giant is believed to have gained new mobile phone customers, boosting revenue from not only the new contracts, but also such related services as video streaming.
Such midsize contractors as Nishimatsu Construction and Penta-Ocean Construction are also upgrading projections. With a number of redevelopment projects popping up in the Tokyo area, market players are growing bullish about their results as well.
This trend is not confined to Japan. Net profit will grow 10.9% this year at major U.S. enterprises, according to Thomson Reuters, and 15.7% at major European companies. Corporate Japan is seen with a 12.1% rise for the year ending March 2018.

According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Japan will propose a top-level dialogue with the U.S., India and Australia, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told The Nikkei on Wednesday. The idea is for the leaders of the four nations to promote free trade and defense cooperation across a stretch of ocean from the South China Sea, across the Indian Ocean and all the way to Africa.
The proposition would be aimed at counteracting China's aggressive maritime expansion under its Belt and Road initiative. China's plans would cement a sphere of influence for Beijing well beyond Asia.
Kono revealed that he exchanged his thoughts on the four-party dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop back in August on the sidelines of a foreign ministers meeting in Manila.
Kono also said he offered the foreign ministers of the U.K. and France collaborative roles in the partnership.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will officially propose the dialogue partnership to U.S. President Donald Trump on Nov. 6, Kono said.
"We are in an era when Japan has to exert itself diplomatically by drawing a big strategic picture," Kono said during the exclusive interview.
The idea is taking shape as China shakes up its leadership -- an overhaul that could have huge global implications. The Chinese Communist Party on Wednesday announced the new lineup for its seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, Beijing's top decision-making body. Experts say the new committee will give Xi Jinping a stronger grip on power.
Kono said the purpose of the dialogue is to secure a peaceful maritime zone from Asia to Africa. "Free and open seas will benefit all countries, including China and its Belt and Road initiative," the foreign minister said.
Japan expects to play a key role not only among the dialogue partners and collaborators but also in ensuring freedom of navigation in bodies of water that include the South China Sea, which China has been building a military presence.

According to The Asahi Shimbun, Toyota Motor Corp. is going for gold with its new taxi, the company’s first in 22 years, aiming to fill Tokyo’s streets with the model in time for the 2020 Olympics.
The JPN Taxi, successor to the leading automaker’s previous sedan model, the Comfort, was released on Oct. 23. Toyota hopes to sell 1,000 units of the new model per month.
“Tokyo will host the Olympic Games, and the view of Tokyo will change with the change of taxis,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda told reporters at the launch event in Tokyo.
Toyota, which has 70 to 80 percent of the taxi vehicle market share, is calling for the entire industry to adopt uniformly JPN Taxis with an exterior color of “Koi Ai” (deep indigo blue), known as “Japan blue” overseas, so that they will become a symbol of Tokyo like New York’s yellow cabs and the black cabs of London.
The JPN Taxi has a more box-type shape compared to the Comfort, making it roomier and easier for passengers to enter and exit.
The cab’s body is 22 centimeters higher than the Comfort’s, and its floor is 5 cm lower. The sliding door can also accommodate a ramp for wheelchair users.
The new model runs on liquefied petroleum gas and electricity, making it twice as fuel efficient as its predecessor.
It will be equipped with standard accessories including a collision avoidance support package called "Toyota Safety Sense C," with which when a collision is predicted, the car will reduce its speed.
The JPN Taxi is marketed at between 3.28 million yen ($US 28,800) and 3.5 million yen--more than 1 million yen more than the Comfort.

According to The Asahi Shimbun, curious customers can experience close encounters of the android kind at a department store in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, where a recently opened section offers a rare opportunity to interact with robots.
Most robots have been sold online to date, so Japanese department store operator Takashimaya Co. came up with the idea to open Japan’s first department store section dedicated to the futuristic machines at its Shinjuku outlet.
Shoppers can touch and talk to various types of robots at the 10-square-meter Robotics Studio on the store’s ninth floor, which opened on Oct. 4.
“Many robots closely related to everyday life have hit the market,” said a Takashimaya official.
“There is no doubt that robots will become more and more familiar to us, just like smartphones. We would like to propose the idea of life with robots for all ages.”
One robot available for a chat is Sota, developed by NTT East Corp., and priced at 156,600 yen ($US 1,380), including tax.
English-speaking Musio X can help learners with their language skills, and the robot produced by U.S. company AKA is priced at 105,840 yen, including tax.
Higher spending customers can also place their orders for the world’s first laundry-folding robot, Laundroid. The home-helper developed by seven dreamers laboratories inc. costs 1.99 million yen, including tax.
NTT East has sold Sota directly to nursing-care facilities on the assumption that the robots are to be used by elderly people.
Inquiries from the public asking where they can buy robots, or to see the products in the flesh, have been increasing recently.
“We appreciate these trends that enable us to expand our market,” an NTT East official said.
Setting its annual sales target at 30 million yen, Takashimaya plans to double the current sales space in March.
A special robot section is also expected to be set up at a Takashimaya store in the Kansai region.

According to The Domain, the house that love built has been snapped up at auction for $700,000 — $50,000 over its reserve – by a young first home buyer family who are thrilled that their purchase will also help fund the battle against childhood cancer.
The fully-furnished, two-storey, four-bedroom house at Appin is the third ‘Build for a Cure’ home, constructed in 28 days and now auctioned to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute. It was unveiled to the public last month by TV’s The Block star Scott Cam, the ambassador of the institute’s project Build for a Cure.
“That’s the reason we work so hard for such a good cause,” says Mr McDonald, who hopes to build five more homes for the charity over the next five years. “It’s hard to believe that so many children are born with cancer which is just not fair. They’re just children, they have never done anything wrong.
“I look at my five grandchildren sitting there and I would hate to see anything like this happen to any of them, so it’s only right that we all do our best to help get rid of this disease in the future. I was very happy the auction raised $700,000; that’s a lot of funds that will go into the institute.”
At the Children’s Cancer Institute, head of program Professor Maria Kavallaris says she was thrilled by the result. That money will now be used to fund seven senior scientists to continue their research into the causes of childhood cancer, the best treatments and the ways to prevent it in future.
“We are really excited that it raised $700,000, and we want to thank, from the bottom of our hearts, everyone involved,” she says. “Three children a week die from the disease and lots suffer the side-effects of their treatment. So projects like the Build for a Cure do enormous good.”
The house was built by workers from McDonald Jones Homes and subcontractors, on land donated by Walker Corporation at their community Appin Place, with fixtures and fittings supplied by Winning Appliances, Fisher & Paykel and Freedom, and real estate services by Di Mez Real Estate. Celebrity auctioneer Damian Cooley says everything came together to put a great house on the market that was beautifully furnished.

According to The Nikkei Asian Review, the internal combustion engine will take a back seat at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show as automakers vie to demonstrate their visions for a future that does not run on gas.
Toyota Motor on Wednesday revealed a fuel cell concept car, dubbed the Fine-Comfort Ride, which will be on display at the auto show, opening Oct. 27. The sedan is planned to have a range of roughly 1,000km -- over 50% farther than Toyota's current hydrogen-powered vehicle, the Mirai -- and be able to refuel in about three minutes. Other features include voice guidance.
The Japanese automaker is also rolling out the Sora fuel cell bus for the show. It plans to begin sales of the vehicle next year and aims to have over 100 units on Japan's streets, chiefly in Tokyo, by the 2020 Summer Olympics. Toyota put a fuel cell bus on the market this year, but the Sora is supposed to be more comfortable and have pioneering safety features for Japan, such as cameras that monitor pedestrians and objects around the vehicle.
Suzuki Motor will spotlight its e-Survivor prototype, a four-wheel drive electric sport-utility vehicle that seats two, while Toyota unit Daihatsu Motor will showcase the DN Pro Cargo, a electric van with a low floor and high ceiling for easy accessibility. Nissan Motor will debut a souped-up version of its flagship electric vehicle, the Leaf, in collaboration with its performance brand Nismo.
Honda Motor's Sports EV Concept will make its world premiere at the Tokyo show. The company will also introduce a concept for a production model that it plans to begin selling in Europe in 2019.
This year's motor show will also demonstrate how carmakers are preparing for the automated-driving era. Honda's electric sports car concept will have a driver assistance system that uses AI to analyse the facial expressions and driving habits of the person behind the wheel.
Toyota will also unveil an electric vehicle with AI-assisted driving. The car will assess the driver's mental state and switch to automated-driving mode if it deems assistance is necessary.
Mitsubishi Motors' AI-equipped vehicle will study users' conversations and behaviour. The driver can control the air conditioning, windshield wipers, lights and more by talking to the AI assistant, which can also suggest dining and entertainment options based on their conversations.

According to The ABC News, Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has unveiled his shiny new energy policy, complete with its own three-letter acronym to replace the doomed Clean Energy Target.
The Government claims the new plan — including a National Energy Guarantee, or NEG — will be kinder to hip pockets and will reduce emissions enough for Australia to uphold its end of the Paris climate change agreement.
The Government is effectively putting the onus on retailers to guarantee (the G in NEG) two things: reliable supply and emissions reduction.
The first part of that means power companies would be required to use a percentage of electricity from so-called dispatchable sources such as coal, gas, batteries and pumped hydro.
Base load power is a term we're hearing a lot in discussions about our energy future. But what does it mean, and is it really relevant?
This would be ready to use at short notice to stop blackouts like the one seen in SA last year.
It would also keep the power system stable at a lower price because it would be done via long-term contracts, not the short-term spot price.
The second part — reducing emissions — means they'll be scrapping subsidies and incentives for renewables and instead expecting retailers to ensure the power that they're buying is efficient enough to help Australia meet its international obligations (i.e. what we signed up to do during the Paris climate change conference).

According to The Asahi Shimbun, the coin lockers are full, and the weary foreign visitor has no choice but to lug heavy suitcases across town while catching up on last-minute shopping.
It's an all-too-common sight. But help is at hand as new services come into play that are intended to make life easier for tourists, with the expectation they will spend more on souvenirs--thereby generating revenue--if they are not encumbered with luggage.
Travelers have long been able to send baggage direct from airports to their hotels and elsewhere if they are able to fill in forms in Japanese.
From January, an app will allow them to do so in the language of their choice and in the comfort of their own homes before they leave for Japan.
The area around JR Akihabara Station in central Tokyo is invariably busy as it is a must-see location for aficionados of “Cool Japan.” The 10 or so coin-operated large lockers on the station's first floor are nearly always full, which means there are often tourists strolling around with suitcases in search of empty lockers.
The locker shortage is due mostly to a rapid increase in trips by individual travellers, who now make up more than 70 percent of overseas tourists, up more than 10 percentage points from three years ago.
The overall number of foreign visitors has also risen sharply, and continues to do so.
Unlike group tourists, individual travellers have to keep an eye on their baggage. Areas in train station complexes are limited, which explains the limited number of coin lockers.
The government has set of goal of attracting 40 million foreign visitors by 2020.
If, as Tokyo expects, long-stay visitors with fatter pocketbooks account for a larger proportion of all foreign tourists, cities and towns across Japan can expect to see more foreigners trailing suitcases through their streets.
Municipalities with well-known tourist sites have begged for some respite.
An exasperated Kyoto city official summed up the situation facing areas of historic interest by saying, “Buses and trains already packed with residents are getting even more crowded.”
The plea did not land on deaf ears. Travel agency JTB Corp. has teamed up with parcel delivery operator Yamato Holdings Co. and electronics giant Panasonic Corp. to develop an app that enables travellers to arrange for their baggage to be shipped to and from airports to hotels and other facilities on the day they requested for delivery. The service is due to start in January.
Given that form-filling in Japanese poses a kanji challenge for many foreign visitors, the app is in multiple languages.
To say the delivery system planned by JTB, Yamato and Panasonic has a hidden objective might sound cynical, but one aim is to free tourists from their luggage so they can more easily browse shops and make purchases.
“Burdened by heavy baggage, visitors from overseas are forced to visit fewer tourist spots and buy fewer souvenirs,” said Hiroki Furuno, an executive at JTB.
Parcel deliverer Sagawa Express Co., budget ticketing travel agency H.I.S. Co. and other firms have also set up new bases to allow overseas tourists to fill in forms in other languages to send their luggage from train stations and sightseeing spots.
In January, ecbo Inc., a Tokyo-based start-up company, started introducing beauty salons and restaurants with unused space so visitors can store their baggage--for a small fee. It said 400 outlets in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa and other prefectures are offering space.
The venues can be accessed in multiple languages on the firm’s app. Storing a large suitcase costs 600 yen ($US 5.35) a day.
“Both the numbers of registered users and storage sites are rising daily,” said Kanako Tsuji, a public relations official of ecbo. “We hope to expand the service to local areas.”